The state of the automatic-identification industry can be understood in terms of (i) the different classes of bar code symbologies that have been developed and adopted by the industry, and (ii) the kinds of apparatus developed and used to read such bar code symbologies in various user environments.
In general, there are currently three major classes of bar code symbologies, namely: one dimensional (1D) bar code symbologies, such as UPC/EAN, Code 39, etc.; 1D stacked bar code symbologies, Code 49, PDF417, etc.; and two-dimensional (2D) data matrix symbologies.
One Dimensional optical bar code readers are well known in the art. Examples of such readers include readers of the Metrologic Voyager® Series Laser Scanner manufactured by Metrologic Instruments, Inc. Such readers include processing circuits that are able to read one dimensional (1D) linear bar code symbologies, such as the UPC/EAN code, Code 39, etc., that are widely used in supermarkets. Such 1D linear symbologies are characterized by data that is encoded along a single axis, in the widths of bars and spaces, so that such symbols can be read from a single scan along that axis, provided that the symbol is imaged with a sufficiently high resolution along that axis.
In order to allow the encoding of larger amounts of data in a single bar code symbol, a number of 1D stacked bar code symbologies have been developed, including Code 49, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239 (Allais), and PDF417, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,786 (Pavlidis, et al.). Stacked symbols partition the encoded data into multiple rows, each including a respective 1D bar code pattern, all or most of all of which must be scanned and decoded, then linked together to form a complete message. Scanning still requires relatively high resolution in one dimension only, but multiple linear scans are needed to read the whole symbol.
The third class of bar code symbologies, known as 2D matrix symbologies offer orientation-free scanning and greater data densities and capacities than their 1D counterparts. In 2D matrix codes, data is encoded as dark or light data elements within a regular polygonal matrix, accompanied by graphical finder, orientation and reference structures. When scanning 2D matrix codes, the horizontal and vertical relationships of the data elements are recorded with about equal resolution.
In order to avoid having to use different types of optical readers to read these different types of bar code symbols, it is desirable to have an optical reader that is able to read symbols of any of these types, including their various subtypes, interchangeably and automatically. More particularly, it is desirable to have an optical reader that is able to read all three of the above-mentioned types of bar code symbols, without human intervention, i.e., automatically. This is turn, requires that the reader have the ability to automatically discriminate between and decode bar code symbols, based only on information read from the symbol itself. Readers that have this ability are referred to as “auto-discriminating” or having an “auto-discrimination” capability.
If an auto-discriminating reader is able to read only 1D bar code symbols (including their various subtypes), it may be said to have a 1D auto-discrimination capability. Similarly, if it is able to read only 2D bar code symbols, it may be said to have a 2D auto-discrimination capability. If it is able to read both 1D and 2D bar code symbols interchangeably, it may be said to have a 1D/2D auto-discrimination capability. Often, however, a reader is said to have a 1D/2D auto-discrimination capability even if it is unable to discriminate between and decode 1D stacked bar code symbols.
Optical readers that are capable of 1D auto-discrimination are well known in the art. An early example of such a reader is Metrologic's VoyagerCG® Laser Scanner, manufactured by Metrologic Instruments, Inc.
Optical readers, particularly hand held optical readers, that are capable of 1D/2D auto-discrimination and based on the use of an asynchronously moving 1D image sensor, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,288,985 and 5,354,977, which applications are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Other examples of hand held readers of this type, based on the use of a stationary 2D image sensor, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,250,551; 5,932,862; 5,932,741; 5,942,741; 5,929,418; 5,914,476; 5,831,254; 5,825,006; 5,784,102, which are also hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Optical readers, whether of the stationary or movable type, usually operate at a fixed scanning rate, which means that the readers are designed to complete some fixed number of scans during a given amount of time. This scanning rate generally has a value that is between 30 and 200 scans/sec for 1D readers. In such readers, the results the successive scans are decoded in the order of their occurrence.
Imaging-based bar code symbol readers have a number advantages over laser scanning based bar code symbol readers, namely: they are more capable of reading stacked 2D symbologies, such as the PDF 417 symbology; more capable of reading matrix 2D symbologies, such as the Data Matrix symbology; more capable of reading bar codes regardless of their orientation; have lower manufacturing costs; and have the potential for use in other applications, which may or may not be related to bar code scanning, such as OCR, security systems, etc
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers suffer from a number of additional shortcomings and drawbacks.
Most prior art hand held optical reading devices can be reprogrammed by reading bar codes from a bar code programming menu or with use of a local host processor as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,418. However, these devices are generally constrained to operate within the modes in which they have been programmed to operate, either in the field or on the bench, before deployment to end-user application environments. Consequently, the statically-configured nature of such prior art imaging-based bar code reading systems has limited their performance as well as capacity for easy integration into third-party products (i.e. systems and devices).
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers with integrated illumination subsystems also support a relatively short range of the optical depth of field. This limits the capabilities of such systems from reading big or highly dense bar code labels.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require separate apparatus for producing a visible aiming beam to help the user to aim the camera's field of view at the bar code label on a particular target object.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require capturing multiple frames of image data of a bar code symbol, and special apparatus for synchronizing the decoding process with the image capture process within such readers, as required in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,932,862 and 5,942,741 assigned to Welch Allyn, Inc.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require large arrays of LEDs in order to flood the field of view within which a bar code symbol might reside during image capture operations, oftentimes wasting large amounts of electrical power which can be significant in portable or mobile imaging-based readers.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require processing the entire pixel data set of capture images to find and decode bar code symbols represented therein. On the other hand, some prior art imaging systems use the inherent programmable (pixel) windowing feature within conventional CMOS image sensors to capture only partial image frames to reduce pixel data set processing and enjoy improvements in image processing speed and thus imaging system performance.
Many prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers also require the use of decoding algorithms that seek to find the orientation of bar code elements in a captured image by finding and analyzing the code words of 2-D bar code symbologies represented therein.
Some prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require the use of a manually-actuated trigger to actuate the image capture and processing cycle thereof.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require separate sources of illumination for producing visible aiming beams and for producing visible illumination beams used to flood the field of view of the bar code reader.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally utilize during a single image capture and processing cycle, and a single decoding methodology for decoding bar code symbols represented in captured images.
Some prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers require exposure control circuitry integrated with the image detection array for measuring the light exposure levels on selected portions thereof.
Also, many imaging-based readers also require processing portions of captured images to detect the image intensities thereof and determine the reflected light levels at the image detection component of the system, and thereafter to control the LED-based illumination sources to achieve the desired image exposure levels at the image detector.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers employing integrated illumination mechanisms control image brightness and contrast by controlling the time the image sensing device is exposed to the light reflected from the imaged objects. While this method has been proven for the CCD-based bar code scanners, it is not suitable, however, for the CMOS-based image sensing devices, which require a more sophisticated shuttering mechanism, leading to increased complexity, less reliability and, ultimately, more expensive bar code scanning systems.
Prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers generally require the use of tables and bar code menus to manage which decoding algorithms are to be used within any particular mode of system operation to be programmed by reading bar code symbols from a bar code menu.
Also, due to the complexity of the hardware platforms of such prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers, end-users are not permitted to modify the features and functionalities of such system to their customized application requirements, other than changing limited functions within the system by reading system-programming type bar code symbols, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,321,989; 5,965,863; 5,929,418; 5,932,862, each being incorporated herein by reference.
Also, dedicated image-processing based bar code symbol reading devices usually have very limited resources, such as the amount of volatile and non-volatile memories. Therefore, they usually do not have a rich set of tools normally available to universal computer systems. Further, if a customer or a third-party needs to enhance or alter the behavior of a conventional image-processing based bar code symbol reading system or device, they need to contact the device manufacturer and negotiate the necessary changes in the “standard” software or the ways to integrate their own software into the device, which usually involves the re-design or re-compilation of the software by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). This software modification process is both costly and time consuming.
Also, as a result of limitations in the mechanical, electrical, optical, and software design of prior art imaging-based bar code symbol readers, such prior art readers generally: (i) fail to enable users to read high-density 1D bar codes with the ease and simplicity of laser scanning based bar code symbol readers and also 2D symbologies, such as PDF 417 and Data Matrix, and (iii) have not enabled end-users to modify the features and functionalities of such prior art systems without detailed knowledge about the hard-ware platform, communication interfaces and the user interfaces of such systems.
Also, control operations in prior art image-processing bar code symbol reading systems have not been sufficiently flexible or agile to adapt to the demanding lighting conditions presented in challenging retail and industrial work environments where 1D and 2D bar code symbols need to be reliably read.
Thus, there is a great need in the art for an improved method of and apparatus for reading bar code symbols using image capture and processing techniques which avoid the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art methods and apparatus.